Pocket knife



June 13, 1939. H C VA Y 2,162,654

POCKET KNIFE Filed Dec. 17, 1937 Patented June 13, 1939 PATENT OFFICE POCKET KNIFE Harold C. Vaisey, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Hickok Manufacturing Company, Inc., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 17, 1937, Serial No. 180,468

1 Claim.

The present invention relates generally to pocket knives and more particularly to that type of knife, the casing or frame of which is formed by two rigidly spaced and connected disk-like plates of sufiiciently small diameter as to adapt the knife as a whole to be carried in the pocket in much the same manner coins are carried.

In carrying out the invention, and to avoid complications as well as to hold the weight as low as possible, it is the object of the invention to arrange the pivoted folding blades and their controlling spring within the casing, or between the plates in such manner that all of the movements and positions of the movable parts will be controlled and taken care of merely by virtue of the cooperation of the blades and spring.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a blade controlling spring and blades so mounted and related that the former not only control the latter in a yielding manner during movement of the blades between open and closed positions and while in the latter position but also act as rigid stops for the blades in their outer positions of use.

With the above in mind, further and more specific objects of the invention as well as the resulting advantages thereof will more plainly appear in the course of the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing showing the best mode so far devised for carrying the invention into practice, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete knife.

Figure 2 is a plan view with the upper plate removed and one of the blades in open position.

Figure 3 is a side view with both blades closed, looking at the ends of the blade shanks.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the blades removed, and

Figure 5 is a similar view of the spring.

Referring now to these figures and particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the frame or casing of the improved knife constituting this invention consists of upper and lower similar, rigidly connected and spaced apart plates I 0. While these plates are shown as of circular disk-like form, and this is a consideration if the knife as a whole isto be carried in the pocket like a coin, it is not essential from the standpoint of effective use and may be varied somewhat if a slightly different shape is found to be under some circumstances preferable.

The two frame plates ID are rigidly spaced and connected by pivot studs I I, I2 and I3, preferably having reduced ends riveted through the plate, so that a judicious spacing of the three studs will serve not only to properly space the 7 plates apart in the desired parallel relation but rigidly connect them-in order that there may be no danger of accidental displacement one from the other.

The stud H, adjacent to one side, serves as a support for the bight end of a U-shaped spring !4 whose extensions are formed in contact with one another for a portion of their lengths and whose bight end may thus be in the form of an eye I5 snugly surrounding the stud II. The remaining outer portions of the extensions of the spring l4, including the free ends, are offset into spaced apart relation and project diametrically across the knife structure between the studs I2 and I3, the extremities of these spaced apart extensions I6 projecting to a point but slightly spaced within and from the peripheral edge of the frame or casing plates I0.

On the studs l2 and I3 are pivotally mounted the angular shanks l1 and I8 of a pair of somewhat similar blades 19 and 20, the outer edges of these blades being curvedin conformity with the periphery of the plates l0 and being unbroken and unobstructed except for outwardly projecting ears 2| intermediate the ends of the blades which, when the blades are closed within the space between the plates I project slightly beyond the latter and form finger pieces. These finger pieces 2| preferably have nail grooves 22 by means of which they may be more readily engaged to withdraw the selected blade from the.

casing by a swinging movement on its pivot stud.

The two blades may be identical in some instances or, as best seen in Figure 2, one blade may have a roughened surface 23 adapting the same for use as a manicure implement, while the other blade 20 may have a sharpened inner edge 24 for cutting purposes.

The angular formation of the shank of each blade provides the blade with a shoulder 25 which, when the blade is moved to outermost position, faces inwardly as will be apparent from the position of the blade IS in Figure 2.

The spaced apart spring extensions l6 bear yieldingly and laterally against the ends of the blade shanks l1 and I8 during movement of the blades between open and closed positions and against the inner sides of the shanks when the blades are in closed or inner positions to avoid accidental movement outwardly beyond the limits of the plates l0.

At the same time by reason of the fact that the spring extensions project between the blades and have their free ends extended as before described, they will contact with the shoulders 25 of the blades when the latter are shifted outwardly to the open position, and in this position of contact the spring extensions bear endwise against the blades and form rigid supports for the latter, as distinguished from their yielding support resulting from their lateral bearing against the blade shanks when the latter are in closed positions as Well as in their course of movement between closed and open positions.

In this way, by utilizing the spring extensions both as yielding blade controls and as rigid supports for the blades in the open positions, it is obvious that the complete structure is reduced to a minimum number of essential parts, these essential parts being the plates l0, studs l I, I2 and I3, spring l4, and blades I9 and 20, so that the knife as a whole will be of' minimum weight and of the utmost simplicity.

It is obvious that the outer faces of the plates 10 may be embossed, imprinted or otherwise decorated and that any such decoration may be so arranged as to conceal the slight projections formed by the riveted ends of the spacing and connecting studs.

What is claimed is:

A coin-shaped pocket knife comprising a pair of opposed spaced plates, a single stud located adjacent the periphery of the pocket knife and connecting the plates, a pair of spaced studs connecting the plates adjacent the periphery of the pocket knife at points approximately diametrically opposite the single stud, a spring extending diametrically across the knife from the single stud to the space between said pair of studs and provided at one end with an eye arranged on the single stud, said spring being composed of two similar sides provided with straight portions arranged in contiguous mutual supporting relation and extending from said eye to a point approximately midway the length of the spring, said sides being offset from each other and spaced apart at the inner ends of the straight portions and providing an approximately U-shaped formation, the outer ends of the spaced portions being located between the spaced studs, and a pair of blades pivoted between the plates by said pair of studs and engaged by the spaced sides of the U-shaped portion of the spring, the outer ends of said spaced portions of the spring being arranged to form stops for limiting outward swinging movement of the blades on the pivot studs.

HAROLD C. VAISEY. 

